The SS Lord Ashley is one of the oldest wrecks on the Terrigal coast. COAST Magazine's Central Coast shipwreck roll records that she was lost on Terrigal Reef in 1877, breaking in two on the rocks; her crew got ashore safely, and the cause remains disputed - either a leak in bad weather or, as local lore suggests, an insurance job. The name lives on at the Lord Ashley bar in the Crowne Plaza Terrigal, a few hundred metres from where she was lost.

Nearly 150 years of Pacific swell have broken the wreck into scattered pieces among the shallow reef. What divers find, when they find it, are plates, ribs, fittings and concretions wedged between boulders and hidden under kelp in shallow water. This is a search dive for history enthusiasts rather than a structured wreck dive; the reef itself - boulders, kelp, urchin barrens and small gutters - is typical of the inshore Central Coast.

Fish life is what you would expect near The Haven: eastern blue gropers, which are protected and very used to divers at Terrigal, along with luderick, silver sweep, mado, rock blackfish and wrasse. Octopus, sea urchins, sea stars and nudibranchs live among the rocks, and wobbegongs rest in gutters. Few people dive the site deliberately, and precise positions for the remains are not published, so the practical approach is to go with a Terrigal Underwater Group member or a local guide on a genuinely flat day.

It suits Open Water divers with good surge skills and an interest in local maritime history. As with all shipwreck remains of this age in NSW, the wreck is protected: nothing may be moved or taken.

All boat dives in this area launch from the Terrigal Haven boat ramp at the southern end of Terrigal Beach, tucked behind The Skillion headland. From the Central Coast Highway follow Terrigal Drive into Terrigal, then Kurrawyba Avenue and Terrigal Esplanade to The Haven, where there is a paid car park beside the ramp; Pro Dive Central Coast's shop is a short walk away and gear is loaded on the ramp or the adjacent beach. Private boats need a ramp with good parking early on weekends as the car park fills by mid-morning in summer.

Terrigal Reef is close to the headland, a couple of minutes from The Haven. In very calm conditions experienced divers can reach the inshore reef by swimming from The Haven, but most visits are by boat with someone who knows where the remains lie.

Terrigal's offshore reefs are open to the Tasman Sea and are dived only when swell is below roughly 1.5 m; a north-east sea breeze building through the afternoon in summer and strong southerlies after a front are the usual reasons trips are cancelled, so morning departures are the norm. The Haven boat ramp is sheltered by The Skillion but the run out past the headland can be lumpy in a south-easterly. Visibility is best in late summer and autumn when the East Australian Current pushes warm blue water inshore, and worst after heavy rain when Terrigal Lagoon, Wamberal Lagoon and Avoca Lagoon open and stain the inshore water.

Winter water is cooler (around 15-17 °C) but often clear. The reef is shallow and close to the headland, so even small swell creates surge and breaking water; dive only on flat days.

Search the shallow reef slowly in 5-10 m for iron plates, ribs and fittings among the kelp and boulders, staying well clear of breaking water. Use an SMB throughout as boats pass close by.

Protected under NSW historic shipwreck provisions (Heritage Act 1977).

No regular scheduled trips; occasionally visited by Terrigal Underwater Group and Pro Dive Central Coast guides on calm days.